What is this guide all about?

There are over 170 different Government supports for Irish start-ups and small businesses. This Online Guide is to help Irish start-ups and small businesses navigate the range of Government supports to see which you could possibly apply.

Please note, the results are only an initial guide. You will need to contact the relevant Department or Agency to establish if you do qualify for these potential supports.

Included in this online guide are supports from:

  • Arts Council
  • Bord Bia
  • Bord Iascaigh Mhara
  • Cork Business Innovation Centre (CorkBIC)
  • Council
  • Credit Guarantee Scheme
  • Credit Review Office
  • Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine
  • Department of Business, Enterprise & Innovation
  • Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment
  • Department of Employment Affairs & Social Protection
  • Department of Finance
  • Department of Rural and Community Development
  • Design & Crafts Council of Ireland
  • Dublin Business Innovation Centre
  • Enterprise Europe Network
  • Enterprise Ireland
  • Fáilte Ireland
  • Food Safety Authority of Ireland
  • Foodworks
  • Health and Safety Authority
  • IntertradeIreland
  • Ireland Strategic Investment Fund
  • Irish Film Board
  • Irish Research Council
  • Local Development Companies
  • Local Enterprise Office
  • Microfinance Ireland
  • Office of Government Procurement
  • Revenue
  • Skillnet Ireland
  • South East Business Innovation Centre
  • Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland
  • Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland
  • Teagasc
  • Údarás na Gaeltachta
  • WestBIC (Business Innovation Centre)
  • Western Development Commission

This guide was last updated on 21/12/2018

Terms and Conditions
Supporting SMEs

This online guide is part of the Irish Government’s Supporting SMEs campaign, to increase awareness of the range of Government supports for start-ups and small businesses. Answer the following eight questions to find out which supports could possibly fit your business.

Note: You need to answer all eight questions to get a listing of results.

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Select all sectors that are relevant to your business – do select more than less, so your list is as comprehensive as possible.

If you find that your sector is not explicitly referenced in this list, see if your business would qualify under ‘professional & administrative services’. This section includes education services, legal services and a broad range of other business sectors that may not appear in this list.

If you have a query about this, please contact us at supportingsmes@dbei.gov.ie and we’ll do our best to help you.

Select all sectors that are relevant to your business

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In determining the size of your business, it is useful for you to be aware that, according to the European Commission the main factors determining the size of your business are:

  1. number of employees
  2. either turnover or balance sheet total.
Company category No. Employ Turnoveror Balance sheet total
Medium < 250 ≤ € 50 m ≤ € 43 m
Small < 50 ≤ € 10 m ≤ € 10 m
Micro < 10 ≤ € 2 m ≤ € 2 m

For ease, this online guide focuses on the number of employees, though you may need to factor turnover or balance sheet in your final selection of size of your business.

These ceilings apply to the figures for individual firms only. A firm which is part of larger grouping may need to include employee/turnover/balance sheet data from that grouping too.

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A useful tip: Select as many supports as you think you’d be interested in currently, or for the future. The more you check, the more results you will see in the results page.

Select as many supports as you would like

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